


A Song is Worth a Thousand Memories

by Spotted_Newt



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: Drabble Collection, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-24
Updated: 2021-03-16
Packaged: 2021-03-16 03:07:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 9,831
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28949421
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Spotted_Newt/pseuds/Spotted_Newt
Summary: Codywan drabbles inspired by songs
Relationships: CC-2224 | Cody/Obi-Wan Kenobi
Comments: 51
Kudos: 57





	1. Into the Storm

**Author's Note:**

> I try to take some time each day to write something random, without worrying about editing and polishing and writing a complete story. Similar to a freewrite, it's a great exercise for keeping the creativity flowing and remember why I love writing, especially on days when my longfics are fighting with me. Caco was kind enough to share her playlist of codywan songs with me, so naturally I've been listening to those during my open writing time. And, seeing as I have received a few requests for codywan stories, I decided I might as well share these drabbles with you all. They're barely edited and they don't follow any kind of plot (though I suppose you could theoretically try to read them as all existing in the same story) but that's the whole point of open writing time. :) 
> 
> Enjoy!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This one was written during "Into The Storm" by BANNERS.

“Well, it looks like quite a storm out there,” Obi-Wan commented. 

Cody glanced over at the already rain-soaked Jedi, head tilted back slightly as he peered out of the cave. With water dripping from loose strands of auburn hair and tunics plastered to his body, the man might as well have jumped into one of Kamino’s seas. And yet he was grinning, a twinkle in his eye as he gazed over the long stretch of field they’d have to cross before they reached anything else that might shelter them from the rain. 

“That’s an understatement, sir,” Cody replied. The rain fell in sheets, wind whipping it up into their faces even under the safety of the overhang they’d found just as the skies had opened. Cody thought he’d gotten used to storms back on Kamino, but this one gave even those a run for their money. 

Obi-Wan laughed. “Yes, I suppose it is.” He tilted his head thoughtfully, another piece of hair sliding out of place. “It’s not going to be a pleasant dash. Perhaps you and the men should stay here, where it’s a bit drier. I can catch one rogue Separatist well enough on my own.”

“Absolutely not,” Cody said. “Where you go, we follow, sir.”

_ Where you go,  _ I _ follow.  _ He’d follow his General—he’d follow  _ Obi-Wan _ —anywhere. Through day, through night, even through hell and back if the universe sent them there, he’d be right beside his Jedi. 

Obi-Wan glanced over, and though Cody’s bucket hid his face, he had a feeling the Jedi could see him just fine. 

“Yes,” Obi-Wan said, the word feeling distinctly soft in a way that made Cody’s heart do interesting things. “And I am lucky to have you.”

They stood, for a moment, in the midst of the howling wind and rain. Just… looking at one another. Cody watched a raindrop slip down Obi-Wan’s temple and across his cheek, tracing a path around blue eyes that seemed to almost glow in the reflected light from the rain. It slid down into his beard, already darkened from gold to bronze by the water, and from there dropped from his face to join its brothers on the slick stone ground.

Cody wondered how one man could be so infinitely beautiful. 

“Well then,” Obi-Wan said, breaking the spell as he turned back to the field before them. “Are you ready?”

Cody set his shoulders. “Yes sir.”

Obi-Wan cast him one more glance, a smile dancing on his lips. “Then let’s go.”

And out they ran, out into the storm. 


	2. Keep You Right

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This one was written during "Keep You Right" by Blind Pilot. 
> 
> Italicized lines are lyrics from the song.

“Papa, dance with me!” 

Obi-Wan chuckled as two little hands tugged on one of his. He looked up from his datapad and down into the bright brown eyes of the little girl, a toothy (or, well, a bit toothless) grin on her face as she gave his hand an insistent tug. 

“Alright,” he said, setting aside his tea and datapad. “I think we’ll need some music though, don’t you?”

“Yes!” she exclaimed, bobbing her head eagerly. “You and Buir can sing!” 

“Cody, _cyare_ ,” Obi-Wan called across the hut as he stood, “your singing skills have been requested.”

The other man poked his head around the half-wall that separated the living area from the kitchen. “Is that right?”

“Yes, yes!” The child released Obi-Wan’s hand and bounded over to tug on Cody’s instead. “We’re gonna dance, and you and Papa sing!” 

“And what should we sing?” Cody asked, putting down the dishes he’d been washing and wiping his hands on a cloth.

“Sing the song about the desert and rain and the roselady.”

“Rosemary,” Obi-Wan corrected gently. He met Cody’s gaze, a soft smile on his lips as the other was led over to where Obi-Wan stood. “That is a good one. What do you say, _cyare_?”

“Well”--Cody leaned in for a quick kiss, then took one of Obi-Wan’s hands in his left and their daughter’s hand in his right--“ _These stars wash over me so far away that I can barely breathe from where I lay_.”

“ _And never have I been so far from home or the years I was cut from sand and rain_ ,” Obi-Wan sang, his accent curling the words of the second line, as he moved and pulled the three of them into a dance. 

“ _I’m calling, through ebb and flow._ ”

“ _I’m calling, whichever way it goes_.”

“ _Desert rock and rosemary-_ ”

“ _Carry dry and bloodless on the breeze-_ ”

“ _Make me new_ ,” the two sang together. 

And oh, what a blessing that was. For two who had been through so much, seen so much death and horror, to have this second chance at a life. Obi-Wan, worn for a time by the sands of Tatooine, and Cody, who had grown up on a planet of rain, both of whom had traversed hard paths through life. Sometimes together, and then for a time, apart, facing their demons on their own. 

_“My heart longs for too much and mine eyes have hardly seen enough to know its needs.”_

First falling in love, in the midst of war, matters of the heart strange and a bit frightening to each of them. Cody, who had seen so little of the galaxy, only that which was seen in the war; and Obi-Wan, who had seen so much of the galaxy, and yet feeling as though he knew nothing just the same. Both feeling as though the longing of their hearts were things that could never be, but longing still, and deciding to explore this other world together. 

“ _I’ve been away so long I lost you, my love, my song and sight._ ”

That time away, apart, after Order 66… so long, and so dark. Thinking the other was gone, never to be seen again, no more love and no more music. Each being lost themselves too, the weight of the tragedies they’d lived drawing them away from the men they once had been. Lost, and alone. 

_“You give me anything you want to, I’m bound to keep you right.”_

And now brought back together, and gifted with a life of love, family, and healing.

_“Oh to keep you right.”_

Obi-Wan leaned in and Cody mirrored the motion, the two resting their foreheads together as they swayed and sang, their daughter having released their hands and opted to dance expressively around the room instead. 

They had been given a precious gift, and they intended to cherish it. 


	3. Harbor

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Loosely inspired by "Harbor" by Vienna Teng.
> 
> Modern whale watch AU, because harbors=ocean=whales, of course. xD

Cody leaned his elbows against the rail of the boat, wind whipping salt and seaspray through his hair. Waves rolled and swelled beneath the vessel, bringing it up off the surface and then down again as the boat raced across the open sea. 

“It’s beautiful, isn’t it?” Rex commented, coming to lean against the rail beside his brother. 

Cody hummed. “You’d think we’d get tired of it, eventually.” They’d grown up by the sea, a childhood spent chasing crabs through tidepools and chasing each other through crashing waves. They’d known how to swim almost before they learned how to walk, and they knew how to read the ocean’s moods before they knew how to read books. 

“Nah,” Rex said. “At least, I won’t. And it’s been too long.” He looked out, over the water, then tilted his head back to let the sun warm his face. “I hadn’t expected to miss it so much, when I went to school. Thought I’d like the change in scenery.”

Cody hummed again. “Me neither. It’s good to be back on the water.” 

“The city’s not all it’s cracked up to be,” Rex said. He took a deep breath and released it slowly. “I do like the people, but everything is always loud, always on the go. And the air is stale.” 

Cody cast his brother a curious glance. “You thinking of transferring?”

The younger man shrugged. “Dunno. They’ve got a lot of options, and I like my friends, but I miss the sea.”

“Stewjon University is only thirty minutes from here,” Cody said. “They’re a large school too. I’m sure you could find a program there just as easily as at UCoruscant.”

“True,” Rex said. “That’s one of the perks of being undecided, I suppose. Don’t have to worry about a school not having my program when I don’t even know what my program will be.”

The boat slowed then, the wind dropping to a gentle breeze that only barely stirred Cody’s curls, and a voice came to life over the intercom. 

“Alright everyone, we are now about fifty kilometers off the shore,” announced the naturalist who had spoken at the beginning of the trip. Obi-Wan, if Cody recalled correctly, an undergraduate marine biology student at Stewjon University. “We’ve been talking to some of the other vessels nearby, and there have been a few whale sightings. Keep your eyes out for plumes of sea spray on the horizon. One of those is called a blow, and that’ll be the whale taking a breath. If you spot one, go ahead and point it out, and we’ll head that way.”

Sure enough, only a few minutes later, someone shouted “I see one!” and the boat started up again. Slower, this time, so as not to scare the animal off. They moved closer, then turned down the engines and waited. 

Cody heard a  _ huff _ and quickly turned, just in time to catch a glimpse of dark charcoal skin as the whale slid back below the surface. 

“Looks like we have an adult humpback whale right off our port side, about eight o’clock,” Obi-Wan said. “It’s probably Boga, or perhaps Artoo, they’ve both been spotted around this area these past few days. We won’t know for sure until we see a fluke. That’s when the whale’s tail breaches the surface, when it’s going for a deeper dive. Each humpback whale has a unique pattern on the underside of their tail, much like human fingerprints. They can be anywhere from mostly black to mostly white. We’ve got a chart here with the different flukes. Although, I see Boga often enough that if we get a good look I can identify her.”

He went on to share some facts about humpback whales. Cody kept his eyes trained on the water, searching for the tell-tale greenish glow of the pectoral fins that would be visible below the surface if the whale moved close enough to the boat. There was nothing, so the whale was likely farther away somewhere. 

“Cody, there,” Rex said, tapping his brother’s arm and pointing just a bit to the right.

Sure enough, Cody spotted the whale just as it took another breath. 

“Looks like she’s going for a dive,” Obi-Wan commented, as the whale’s spine arched out of the water. “She should be giving us a fluke then, and-- oh, yes, it is Boga! Hello, darling!”

Cody’s lip quirked up at the fond and excited tone the naturalist had. He sounded incredibly passionate about everything he said, describing Boga’s life story as if he were talking about a friend or relative. While they waited for her to resurface (humpback whales could hold their breath for as long as 45 minutes, apparently, though Obi-Wan seemed certain Boga would come say hello again sooner than that) Cody glanced up at the bridge, tilting his head as he tried to catch a glimpse of the people through the little windows. The naturalist had a rather pretty voice, and he absently wondered what the man looked like. 

“Whale isn’t up there, Cody,” Rex teased. 

Cody huffed and sent his brother a half-hearted glare. “Maybe I should throw you overboard, and you can go find it for us.”

“That is exactly why we’re on a public boat,” Rex said. “I’m safe from you throwing me off of things.”

“Maybe, but I can still toss you in the harbor when we get back to shore.”

“Not if I run fast enough.”

Cody snorted, shoved Rex’s shoulder, and turned back to the sea. 

Right at that moment, quick enough that Cody almost missed it, the whale leapt up from the water. She twisted her body in the air, pectoral fins flung wide, and crashed back down with a splash that sent water droplets scattering all the way to the boat. 

“ _ Bravo _ , darling, bravo!” Obi-Wan called over the mic. “Everyone give her a round of applause, that was absolutely beautiful.”

The whale watchers clapped, and somewhere on the boat a kid yelled ‘good job miss whale!’ 

A few minutes later Boga breached again, just as enthusiastically as the first time. 

Rex whistled, eyes wide in awe. “Incredible,” he breathed. 

“She’s really showing off today,” Obi-Wan said, and Cody could practically hear the grin in his tone. “She’s a rather theatrical whale, always one for dramatics.”

Rex elbowed Cody’s side. “Sounds like you and Boga would get along well.”

Cody shoved his brother again. “I  _ will _ throw you in the harbor.”

Rex laughed. “We’ll see.”

The boat stayed to watch Boga for another thirty minutes or so, and then it was time to turn and start heading back to shore. Obi-Wan instructed the group to wish Boga farewell, and then they set a course for home. Rex chattered on the way, talking about school and friends and work, and Cody half-listened and half slipped into his own thoughts. The ocean really was relaxing. 

Some time later a “pardon me” drew Cody out of his thoughts. He and Rex turned to find a red-haired man standing just behind them, a smile on his face and a large piece of baleen in his hands. 

“Hello there,” the man greeted. “I’m Obi-Wan, your naturalist on this fine trip. Would you care to see some baleen?”

He held up the item, launching into an explanation of filter-feeding and the difference between baleen whales and toothed whales, and tilted the baleen so that they could touch it if they wished. Rex gently petted the item and asked some questions. 

Cody, on the other hand, found himself staring at Obi-Wan. The man had bright auburn hair that almost glistened in the sunlight, matched by a well-kept beard. Cody had never cared for a beard himself, but Obi-Wan’s framed his jaw in a way that was undeniably handsome. His hair contrasted with the bright blue of his eyes, as blue as the ocean itself, and sparkling in almost the same way. There was a splash of freckles across his nose and cheeks, disappearing into the edges of his beard, reminding Cody of the seaspray stirred up by Boga’s antics. 

The sound of Rex clearing his throat startled Cody out of his thoughts. He glanced at his brother, who had an eyebrow raised and a smirk on his lips, and then at Obi-Wan, who was watching Cody expectantly. 

_ Kriff _ , Obi-Wan must have asked a question while Cody was busy staring.

“I, er, sorry?” Cody stumbled over his words. “What did you say?”

“You go to Kamino University?” Obi-Wan repeated. 

“I- yes, I do, how did you..?”

“Your jumper.”

Cody looked down at the article of clothing, which was indeed his university sweatshirt, and felt heat rise up his neck. “Right, yeah.”

“What are you studying?”

“Military science.”

“Oh, how interesting,” Obi-Wan said, sounding sincerely curious. “What are you learning with that?”

Cody gave a brief overview of his studies and tried to not get distracted by the way the seabreeze blew a few strands of Obi-Wan’s hair across his forehead. 

They carried on a conversation for a few minutes, and then Obi-Wan went to interact with the other passengers on the boat, leaving Cody feeling both warm and a bit disappointed that the conversation had to end. 

“Looks like  _ you _ might be the one transferring to Stewjon U,” Rex said, the smirk still on his face. 

Cody flushed harder. “Shut up,  _ vod’ika _ .”

“Come on, at least ask for his number.”

Cody snuck a glance across the boat, where Obi-Wan had crouched down to hold the baleen out for a shy child. “Maybe.”

Eventually the boat pulled back into the harbor, and everyone started gathering their things. Cody hadn’t brought anything other than the sweatshirt he was wearing, so he just leaned against the railing and watched the docks draw nearer, casting glances up at the bridge every now and then. He still couldn’t see through the glass, not with the way the sun hit it, but he looked at it anyway just in case. 

“Now’s your chance,” Rex said, as the boat slowed and bumped against the dock. “Go get him.”

“He’s probably got a boyfriend already,” Cody said. “Or maybe he’s straight.”

Rex made an incredulous noise in the back of his throat. “Does he  _ look _ like a straight boy?”

“Well, I mean-”

“The answer is  _ no _ , Codes,” Rex interrupted. “The gaydar reads him loud and clear.”

“Well-”

“Ugh.” Rex rummaged around in his pocket, then slapped a napkin and a pen into Cody’s hand. “At least give him  _ your _ number, if you’re gonna be such a coward. And hurry up, people are getting off.”

Cody looked down at the napkin, then up at where Obi-Wan was standing and bidding each of the passengers goodbye, and then down at the napkin again. Sucking in a breath, Cody scribbled his name and phone number on the scrap. 

“Now go get him,” Rex ordered, giving Cody a shove. 

“Ok, ok, I’m  _ going _ .”

The two made their way to the line that was slowly disembarking from the boat. Cody tapped his fingers against his thigh, nervous energy increasing with every step they took closer to where Obi-Wan stood. 

He probably had a boyfriend already. And he was probably just being friendly, earlier. That was his job, after all, and-

-and now here he was, smiling, blue eyes bright and hair slightly askew. 

“I hope you enjoyed the trip,” Obi-Wan said cheerfully. “Thank you for coming.”

“You too,” Cody said, and then wanted to kick himself. “I mean, er, thank you for having us.”

The napkin felt heavy in his hand. He’d been standing here too long now, long enough to make things weird. Obi-Wan had an eyebrow raised and head tilted slightly, and Cody could  _ feel _ Rex’s smirk. His little brother was enjoying this far too much. 

“I, uh,” Cody lifted the napkin, heat rushing to his face. “This is my number, if you, in case you’re, um...”

“That would be nice,” Obi-Wan said, still smiling.

Cody stared. “I- what?”

“I’m off work tonight at seven. There’s an ice cream spot just down the road, Dex’s Ice Cream, if you’d like. Unless you’re busy, of course.”

It took a second for Cody’s brain to catch up. “No! I mean, no I’m not busy, yes ice cream sounds great.”

Obi-Wan beamed at him. “Sounds like a plan, then. I’ll see you tonight.”

With that, he took the napkin from Cody’s hand, inclined his head politely, and strode back up the ramp leading onto the boat, leaving Cody standing in shock.

Rex punched Cody’s arm. “Look at that! You’ve got yourself a date!” 

“A date,” Cody echoed, mind still reeling from how well that had gone. When the words sunk in, a slow smile broke across his face, warmth settling in his chest. “I’ve got a  _ date _ .”

“What’d I tell you?” Rex said. “You see what happens when you actually  _ listen _ to me?”

Cody huffed, but was in too good of a mood to do anything other than give Rex a playful shove as they walked up the dock towards the parking area. 

He had a date. 


	4. Now Touch the Air Softly

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Inspired by "Now Touch the Air Softly" which was originally a poem by William Jay Smith, but which has since been put to music. I'm partial to the choral arrangement by Susan Labarr, but the cover by Peter Mayer is really good too (though a bit of a different feel). 
> 
> This one is not from the playlist, but is instead one of my personal favorite songs. :)
> 
> Italicized lines are quoted lyrics.

When someone makes a promise built on the impossible, it is usually with one of two hopes: either that the impossible thing _will_ come to pass, allowing the promise to be kept, or that the impossible thing will _not_ come to pass, allowing the promise to be kept. 

For example, the promise of “after the war” often seemed built on the impossible. The war dragged on and on, months turning to years with no end in sight. But Obi-Wan and Cody still hoped that it would end, that there would be an after the war, and then the promise could be fulfilled. 

They made a series of promises of the second kind as well. It started on a diplomatic mission. Obi-Wan and Cody were invited to join in local traditions, one of which was an evening of dance. Much of the event was typical enough, with various people asking others to dance, Obi-Wan flirting lightly with each of his dance partners, Cody mostly watching from the wall to make sure no one tried to kidnap his Jedi. But then, as one song ended and another began with a few gentle notes from a piano, one of the locals swooped over and herded Cody to Obi-Wan’s side.

“This one is only for two,” the man said by way of explanation before disappearing again. 

Cody turned to his Jedi with a raised eyebrow. Obi-Wan simply shrugged. 

“I suppose they take us for a couple,” he said, a slight smirk lifting the corner of his mouth. 

“There are worse things to be assumed,” Cody responded. 

_After the war_ echoed through his mind. The war was not over, but Cody felt no shame in stealing a dance. 

It seemed Obi-Wan had a similar thought as his smirk turned a bit flirtatious. “Indeed.”

The people around them had split into two lines, members of each pair facing one another. Cody took a few steps away from his Jedi, falling into place in the second line. The music dipped, and then a vocalist began. 

_“Now touch the air softly, step gently, one, two…”_

The people moved in the first steps of the dance. Cody had no real idea what he was doing, but the movements were slow enough that he could watch the other dancers and catch on in time to complete each step. It wasn’t smooth, but at least he didn’t completely look like a fool. 

_“I’ll love you ‘til roses are robin’s egg blue.”_

Cody thought that was a peculiar line. Roses could be blue, at least in some environments, so that promise seemed a bit empty. But perhaps there were no blue roses on this planet, or perhaps the song had been written long before the roses had been created, back when a blue rose seemed impossible. 

_“I’ll love you ‘til gravel is eaten for bread,_

_and lemons are orange,_

_and lavender’s red._

_Now touch the air.”_

_“Now touch the air,”_ the dancers echoed, joining in the song. _“Now touch the air softly, swing gently the broom. I’ll love you ‘til windows are all of a room. And the table is laid, and the table is bare. And the ceiling reposes on bottomless air...”_

The words were mostly nonsense, Cody realized, at least to his ears. He’d never been one for poetry; it wasn’t something the Kaminoans had deemed useful, and as such it was not included in his education. He hadn’t had an interest in learning it afterwards either, not with so many strategies to draw up and reports to write. It had seemed trivial. 

But Obi-Wan seemed to be loving it. He swayed and moved to the music with a grace that should have been impossible for one who had never done this dance before, and which was entirely unfair given how clumsy Cody felt. Cody half wondered if Obi-Wan _had_ done this dance before, but then he remembered that this was _Obi-Wan_ , who did everything with grace, drama, or both. The Jedi visibly relaxed with every line sung, his playful smirk mellowing into something softer, his eyes half-closing every now and then. It was a look of contentment that the General rarely wore. Cody took the time to study and commit it to memory. It was a look he wanted to coax from his Jedi as often as possible, after the war. 

_“I’ll love you ‘til heaven rips the stars from his coat,_

_and the moon rows away in a glass-bottomed boat.”_

The dance brought the couples closer together, their bodies almost touching. From this close, Cody could hear Obi-Wan softly humming along to the tune, could more clearly see the look in his eyes. The only other time Obi-Wan looked like this was when he had a good cup of tea, or had sunk deep into meditation. It was the look of someone fully immersed in a single moment, drinking it in, feeling it in every cell of their being.

If poetry and gentle song had this effect on his Jedi, Cody would have to make an effort to learn it. He had a feeling there was an entire layer that he was missing out on, something beautiful that Obi-Wan and the other dancers had found that Cody couldn’t quite access. 

_“And Orion steps down like a diver below,_

_and Earth is ablaze, and ocean aglow.”_

The second line had Cody stiffening slightly. He had seen planets ablaze. He had seen oceans glowing from the light of burning cities. He had seen ruins, and bodies, and-

-Obi-Wan looped his arm around Cody’s back, drawing him closer, leaning forward slightly so that their ears almost touched. 

“Don’t think of such things right now,” Obi-Wan murmured. “Just feel the music.”

Cody swallowed and gave a slight nod. It was admittedly a bit hard to focus on the music with Obi-Wan’s arm resting across his back, and their combined body heat warming the sliver of space between their chests. But at least that distracted him from unpleasant thoughts.

_“Now touch the air softly, and swing the broom high._

_We will dust the grey mountains, and sweep the blue sky;_

_And I’ll love you as long as the furrow, the plow,_

_As however is ever, and ever is now.”_

When Cody returned to his quarters that night, _after the war_ repeated over and over in his mind. After the war they would dance like that again. After the war he would pull Obi-Wan close, instead of leaving an inch between them. After the war he would find all of the poetry he could and learn to put it to song if it would make his Jedi smile and radiate contentment like he had during their dance. 

Not even a week later Obi-Wan was called to Coruscant for an important mission. He made sure Cody and the rest of the 212th had everything set to carry on their duties without their General for a few days, and then Cody escorted him to his transport. 

“Try not to have too much fun without us, sir,” Cody said, quirking up his lip. 

“I shall try to be positively miserable without your company,” Obi-Wan teased. “May the Force be with you, Cody.”

“And with you, sir.” 

He saluted, and Obi-Wan walked up the ramp. The Jedi paused at the top, half-turned, and said, “‘til heaven rips the stars from his coat.”

Cody froze, but before he could think of a response, the Jedi had disappeared deeper into the ship. 

Cody mulled over the phrase as he returned to his duties. He knew where it was from, of course, and the reminder of that evening made his chest warm. But why would Obi-Wan quote it to him now? 

He was still puzzling over it when the news came that Rako Hardeen had killed Obi-Wan. Cody’s breath caught as he read the formal statement announcing the death, and he thought of the line of poetry. Had Obi-Wan known, somehow, that he was going to die? 

Had his last words been a goodbye?

But that seemed like a bit of a stretch, even for weird Jedi _osik_ , and Cody liked to think that if Obi-Wan knew he was marching off to his death, he’d at least have the courtesy to say a proper farewell first. 

Perhaps…

He didn’t dare hope too hard, and he carried on his duties as if Obi-Wan was never returning. But all sorts of things may become necessary in war. And maybe, just maybe, Obi-Wan’s words had been a promise, not a farewell. 

So when Obi-Wan returned, tired and clean-shaven but _alive_ , and tried to apologize for what his faked death must have put the men through, put Cody through, Cody cut him off and said, “and the moon rows away in a glass-bottomed boat.”

Obi-Wan’s eyes widened, and then he exhaled and slumped in his chair. “You got my message then,” he said, relief coloring every word. 

“More or less,” Cody agreed. “You did what you had to do. I won’t hold that against you.”

It became tradition, after that. In the midst of raging battles and in the stillness of quiet moments, they quoted the lines of the poem to one another. “After the war” was joined by “‘til heaven rips the stars from his coat.” Two promises. One for things yet to come and one for things that would hopefully never come to pass. 

And when things they never imagined could happen did come to pass--when Cody was replaced with CC-2224, when Obi-Wan fell from Boga’s back, when the Empire seized control of the galaxy--the second promise held the last thread of hope. 

Under the cover of night, Obi-Wan climbed one of Tatooine’s dunes. He crossed his arms over his chest, drawing his cloak close around him to keep out the chill, and tilted his head back to observe the sky. 

“‘Til heaven rips the stars from his coat,” he murmured into the still night air. “‘Til heaven rips the stars from his coat.”

He had seen every other impossibility come to pass. Had seen blue roses and burning planets and bare tables. But heaven’s coat was still filled with stars, and he didn’t seem to be intent on ripping them out anytime soon. Maybe, just maybe, there was hope. 

Later, years later, the sea of sand washed an injured stormtrooper to Obi-Wan’s dunes. 

Not long after that CC-2224 was banished from Cody’s mind for good. 

And in the months that followed, when Cody would wake gasping from his nightmares and question how Obi-Wan could love him after everything, the Jedi would bring their foreheads together and whisper the promise as many times as it took for Cody to believe it. 

_“I’ll love you ‘til heaven rips the stars from his coat,_

_And the moon rows away in a glass bottomed-boat._

_I'll love you as long as the furrow, the plow,_

_And however is ever, and ever is now.”_


	5. Follow Me, Follow You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Inspired by "Follow Me, Follow You" by O.A. R. 
> 
> Mild tw for a short moment that could be read as an anxiety attack. 
> 
> It occurred to me that all of these ficlets so far have been from Cody's pov, so I chose this song specifically because it gave me Obi-Wan pov vibes, and then proceeded to write the chapter from Cody's pov. xD The story wants what the story wants, I suppose.

“Well,” Obi-Wan said, looking over the wreckage of the fighters and wiping grease from his brow, “I don’t think we’re getting out of here that way.”

“I would say not, sir,” Cody responded. He tugged his bucket off his head and tilted it, frowning at the crack in the visor. There wouldn’t be any way to repair it until they found a way back to the 212th. 

“Come now Cody, we’re stranded on a deserted island. I don’t think ranks really apply here, do you?”

The clone huffed. “I ‘spose not.”

“Then there shall be absolutely no ‘sirs’ for the foreseeable future,” Obi-Wan stated cheerfully. 

He sounded ecstatic about the prospect. Given that Obi-Wan’s three standard modes of operation were “sarcasm”, “flirt”, and “done with the universe”, “ecstatic” was something new. Cody raised an eyebrow, but the Jedi just flashed a grin and wiped his hands on his trousers. 

“First order of business, we had better find a source of freshwater if we can. If not, we can fashion a boiling pot out of the fighter scraps easily enough.”

“Right,” Cody said, eyeing Obi-Wan suspiciously. He hoped the other hadn’t suffered a head injury. That would be rather difficult to treat without a medic. 

Obi-Wan’s good mood continued through the rest of the day. Cody watched him carefully, searching for signs of injury, as they found water and made camp. The Jedi seemed to be in good health, other than some superficial cuts and bruising from the crash. The uncharacteristically cheery attitude wasn’t a problem, per se, but it was just a bit unsettling. The two of them were stranded on an island on a random planet, ships mangled, with no way to contact the fleet and no supplies. Cody had been through ARC training, so he was confident in his survival skills, and he assumed Jedi were equally well-trained, but this wasn’t what he would consider a cheery situation. 

“Si- Kenobi.”

Obi-Wan hummed and glanced up from tending the fire they had built to keep warm. “Yes?”

“Are you feeling alright?” Cody asked cautiously.

Obi-Wan raised an eyebrow. “Yes, I am. Why do you ask?”

“You’ve been… acting a bit… strange.”

“Oh,” the Jedi said. He tilted his head slightly. “How so?”

“Well, you seem awfully content with our current predicament for starters.”

Obi-Wan smirked. “Would you rather I fret and pace about like an inconsolable Bursa?”

Cody snorted. “Oh no, this is fine. It’s just, well, unusual behavior for you.”

“I should hope that being calm in unfortunate circumstances is a tendency of mine, not the exception.”

“You are always calm under pressure,” Cody agreed, “but you seem almost…” he tried to find the right word. “ _ Happy _ to be stuck here.”

The Jedi went still, fire prod still touching one of the logs. His lips dipped down into a frown, and his brows drew together. “Oh,” he said. 

“Sorry,” Cody said, because he hadn’t meant to make his Jedi go all sad looking like that. He should have left it alone. What harm did it do if Obi-Wan was in a good mood?

“No no,” Obi-Wan waved away the apology and returned to stoking the fire. “No, you’re right. I’ve been a bit selfish.”

“...selfish?”

“Mm.” He pulled the prod away from the flames and sat down on the ground, folding his legs beneath him and setting the stick across his lap. For a moment he said nothing, the only sound between them the crackling of the fire, and then he sighed. “I suppose, on some level, I  _ was _ happy to get stuck here. It’s… well, it’s a nice change of pace. No reports to write, no battles to wage, to orders to give. No sounds of battle droids marching across streets. It is my duty to the Republic and to the galaxy as a whole to do whatever I can to end this war, and I do intend to get us off this island and back into the thick of things as quickly as possible. But…” he trailed off, and ran a hand through his hair. “Oh, I don’t know. I suppose it’s nice to just be Jedi, instead of a General, even for a day. It reminds me of my Padawan days. Getting stranded on random planets was nearly a weekly occurrence for me, back then. Hah.”

Cody wasn’t sure what to say to that. He looked down at the half-eaten ration bar in his hands, running a thumb over the edge of the wrapper. He’d been bred for war. It was what he had trained for from the moment he came out of a tube. Sure, he’d thought about what it might be like after the war, but for the most part he just tried to focus on the next mission. It was a bit strange to hear the Jedi speak so longingly about a life Cody had never been permitted to live. 

“I’m sorry if I unsettled you earlier,” Obi-Wan said, sincerity in every word.

Cody quickly shook his head, returning from his thoughts. “I just wanted to make sure you hadn’t suffered a head injury.”

The Jedi barked a laugh. “Oh dear, am I really so dreary that a bit of enthusiasm is cause for concern?”

“I don’t mean-”

“Relax, Cody,” Obi-Wan said, the smile back on his face. “We’re stranded on a deserted island, have a bit of humor. This is the closest thing either of us will get to a vacation until the war ends, I suspect.”

Cody snorted. That was true enough. 

Over the course of the days and weeks that followed, the two men fell into a comfortable rhythm. They spent their days hunting for food, exploring the island, working on a shelter, and attempting to repair the broken fighters’ radios. When those things had been dealt with as best they could, the two also spent time sparring to keep their skills sharp. Obi-Wan taught Cody how to meditate, and soon that became part of their daily routine too, sitting with their knees touching while they centered themselves on the here and now. 

They also did a great deal of talking. Things were fairly formal at first, Cody referring to the Jedi by his last name and Obi-Wan giving Cody the space to become comfortable with casual interactions if he wished. But there’s only so long that two people can maintain formality when stuck in close quarters, and eventually Cody said ‘screw it’ and threw rank and formality to the wind. If he was going to be stuck here, it was going to be with a friend, not a superior. 

Their talks became longer and deeper as each person grew more comfortable with the other. Obi-Wan told stories of home, of growing up in the Order, of his Padawan years, of his time as a new Knight. He spoke of missions gone well, and missions gone poorly. Of moments of triumph, and moments of pain, and moments of insecurity. Cody told stories of ‘home’ too, of growing up on Kamino, of rising in rank, of watching his brothers succeed or fail around him. Of the constant fear of standing out in the wrong way and getting dragged off to be decommissioned. Of the fear of getting close to brothers when anyone could be taken away at any time, and yet craving the closeness and forging bonds just the same. Of the fear still of losing his closest brothers in battle, and of failure. But he also spoke of the good moments, the tales of his brothers’ names, and the antics they pulled. 

They got to know each other quite well, by the end of the first month. 

The end of the first month was also when they discovered that the island was a little more hostile than they had first believed. 

“Cody!” Obi-Wan shouted, sprinting out of a cave he’d been exploring. “ _ Run _ !”

The clone looked up to see at least twenty large, carnivorous-looking beasts hot on Obi-Wan’s heels. He didn’t know what those creatures were, but he decided he didn’t really care to find out, and so he dropped the figure he’d been carving and bolted. 

“I think they’re planning to outlast us,” Cody panted after a few minutes of dashing through trees. The beasts were running just behind the two humans, yipping and barking to one another in a way that gave Cody the uncomfortable feeling that they were playing with their food. 

“I think you’re right,” Obi-Wan agreed. “We need a plan.”

“I’ve got one.”

Obi-Wan spared him a split-second glance. “Then by all means, lead the way.”

Cody nodded and turned slightly eastward. If his mental map was correct (and it usually was, he’d been trained to always know where he was) then there should be a cliff and a waterfall not far from here. At the speed they were running, they should reach it in three minutes, and he doubted the beasts would follow the two humans over the edge of the cliff and down to the water a few dozen meters below. 

Sure enough, the sound of rushing water reached his ears over the yipping of the animals. 

“Cody?” Obi-Wan asked, alarm ringing in his voice as the trees cleared and the cliff edge became visible. 

“Jump,” Cody ordered. 

He was about to do exactly that when Obi-Wan grabbed his arm and yanked him back from the cliff. 

“What the-” Cody stumbled and whirled. “Obi-Wan!”

“You can’t just jump off a cliff!” 

“We don’t have time to debate it!” Cody snapped, chest heaving from running for so long. The beasts had slowed, recognizing that their prey was trapped, and were instead taking their time inching closer with yipping sounds that were almost laughter. “Unless you want to be dinner in about three seconds, jump off the karking waterfall!” 

“We can take them,” Obi-Wan said instead, holding his lightsaber out in front of him. 

Cody’s eyebrows shot into his hair. “Are you crazy? There’s more than twenty of them.”

“We’ve faced worse odds.”

“We can’t take them, Obi-Wan, and you know it!”

Obi-Wan glanced over at him, panting, sweat dripping down his face. The Jedi glanced from Cody to the waterfall and back again, and Cody caught a glimpse of something he rarely saw in the Jedi’s eyes: fear. 

“You’ve got to be kidding me,” Cody nearly growled. “You’d rather get yourself killed fighting these things than jump off a waterfall?”

“I can take them.”

“You can _ not _ . Just jump already.”

“I can’t.”

“You can.”

“I can’t, Cody!” Obi-Wan’s voice rose in pitch. “I can’t!”

Somehow, through his own adrenaline, Cody took in the state of his Jedi. The way his hands were starting to tremble, and his eyes were wide in panic and desperation. 

“Obi-Wan,” Cody said, making an effort to sound calm despite his panting. He placed a hand on the Jedi’s bicep and gave what he hoped was a comforting squeeze. “You can. This is the only way. I’m right here with you.”

Obi-Wan glanced between him and the waterfall again. 

“Trust me,” Cody urged. “You can do it.”

For one agonizing second, Cody thought Obi-Wan was going to refuse again. But then he gave a sharp nod, switched off his ‘saber, turned, and jumped. 

And not a second too soon. Cody felt jaws snap just above his hair as he leapt over the cliff edge. That was the kind of sensation he would have sworn was just for drama in holofilms, but apparently not. 

He hit the water and almost lost his breath as the current sucked him down. He’d trained for this though, and so quickly got his bearings again and propelled himself to the surface a safe distance from the falls and churning water. He gasped in a few lungfuls of air and scanned the surface for Obi-Wan. He’d promised it would be ok, told the other man to trust him, but now he didn’t see him…

A gasp to his left. Cody spun and blew out a relieved breath when he saw the Jedi’s familiar red hair. A couple strokes carried him closer, and then Cody wrapped an arm around Obi-Wan’s chest and dragged them both to shore. 

“I’ve got you,” Cody said, tightening his grip slightly when Obi-Wan’s breathing didn’t slow to a healthier rate. “It’s alright, I’ve got you.” 

He pulled both of them up onto the riverbank, well out of the water, and then wrapped both his arms firmly around the shaking Jedi. 

“You’re alright,” he soothed. “You did it, we’re alright.”

Obi-Wan eventually calmed, breath and heartbeat slowing to something normal, and only then did Cody loosen his grip. Obi-Wan showed no sign of wanting to leave the safety of the embrace though, electing instead to lean his head back against Cody’s shoulder and close his eyes. 

“Thank you,” the Jedi murmured. 

“You’re welcome,” Cody said. “You doing ok now?”

Obi-Wan hummed. “Much better. Tired, though.”

“Running from hungry wolf-things has that effect.”

Obi-Wan huffed a half-laugh. “Yes, I suppose it does.”

They sat for a few more minutes. Cody ran his thumb back and forth over Obi-Wan’s shoulder, letting the Jedi take as much time as he needed to center himself. 

“Alright,” Obi-Wan said, shifting slightly in Cody’s hold, “I suppose we had better start finding our way back to camp.”

Cody unwrapped his arms and braced his hands behind him as Obi-Wan climbed to his feet. “I know the way.”

“Oh yes?” The Jedi asked. “I’ll follow you, then.” 

He said it with a smile, the same smile Cody had caught on the Jedi’s face when he thought Cody wasn’t looking. The same smile Cody himself often wore as he watched the other man tinkering with the radios, or tending the fire, or trying to befriend a small reptile. It was a smile that said so many things, a reflection of the warmth in his chest that couldn’t quite be described in words. 

He let that smile glow on his face too as he stood and stretched, then turned north. “Follow me.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I realized the other day that Obi-Wan and/or his friends have almost died under a waterfall at least twice. That's two more waterfall near-deaths than a typical person, so I feel like that would have a lasting effect.
> 
> As a funny aside, these ficlets seem to be getting longer and longer each time I write one. xD At some point we'll probably end up with a complete fic for one of these songs, lol.


	6. Glow

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Inspired by "Glow" by The National Parks Band. 
> 
> Takes place in the same AU as Chapter 3 "Harbor" (aka whale watch modern au)

After that first meeting on the whale watch and a successful ice cream date, Cody and Obi-Wan started spending time together fairly regularly. A walk on the beach here, a dinner there, and today a road trip. They'd been dating for a couple of weeks now, and Cody decided to show Obi-Wan the beaches he'd grown up on a bit farther north. They followed the coast, music blaring, Cody drumming on the steering wheel and Obi-Wan on the dash, both of them singing out of tune and not caring in the slightest. 

Cody drove them to one of the coves that was less trafficked by tourists. He pulled over on the side of the road and they both shed their sneakers, then climbed up onto the rocks that separated the road from the beach. 

“What if we raced down to the water?” Cody asked suddenly. 

“That would be terribly uncivilized,” Obi-Wan said. 

“Terribly,” Cody agreed. “Especially for a couple of university students.”

“University students are the epitome of propriety, after all.”

“Of course. They never do anything reckless or childish, ever.”

Cody glanced at Obi-Wan from the corner of his eye. He caught Obi-Wan do the same for one tense moment, and then they both bolted across the sand. 

The tide was out, giving them quite a stretch to sprint across. Kicking up sand and startling seagulls, the two made a beeline for the edge of the sea. 

Cody’s feet hit the water and he whirled to face Obi-Wan. “Hah! I win!” 

“You did not!” Obi-Wan protested, panting from the run. “In fact, I think I beat you by half a second.”

“You wish.” Cody swung his foot through the shallows, sending water flying Obi-Wan’s way, and Obi-Wan leapt back and retaliated with a splash of his own. 

The splash-war grew almost vicious as they dashed through the shallows, and then somehow it became a wrestling match, each trying to drag the other down into the water. Their arms were locked together as they pushed and pulled and twisted, neither managing to do more than make the other stumble. 

“You’re outmatched,” Obi-Wan taunted. “Give up now, and maybe I won't throw you into the sea.”

Cody snorted. “I’ve won more rounds of water-wrestling than you’ve ever played.”

“Oh, I doubt that.”

“Oh yeah?” Cody smirked, then swung out his leg and hooked his ankle around the back of Obi-Wan’s calf, yanking the other’s leg out from under him just as a wave came and knocked into Obi-Wan’s other leg.

“Ay!” Obi-Wan yelped and instinctively flung out his arms, windmilling to try and regain his balance. He caught the front of Cody’s shirt in one hand a second before he fell completely, pulling the other man down with him. 

Cody managed to catch himself on his hands, fingers sinking into the soft sand, saving most of his torso from getting any more soaked than it already was. Obi-Wan was not so lucky, sprawled on his back and plunged into the shallows. The red-head came up laughing and spitting out water, pushing himself up on one arm as another small wave came and rolled over his shoulders. 

“Well, it seems you’ve won,” Obi-Wan said, giving his head a shake that sent water droplets flying from strands of messy hair. 

“Told you,” Cody said smugly. 

Obi-Wan’s hand was still fisted in the fabric of Cody’s shirt, and Cody’s arms were braced on either side of Obi-Wan’s hips. Cody took in Obi-Wan’s grin and bright eyes, water droplets running lazily down the side of his face as they dripped from his hair. Both of their breathing slowed with each moment of rest, but Cody felt his heart rate pick up instead. Obi-Wan was watching him too, he realized, the other’s grin having softened to something else. 

Cody’s heart fluttered again and, feeling a bit bold after all the splashing and wrestling, he leaned forward. 

Obi-Wan met him halfway. 

There in the shallows, small waves rolling over Obi-Wan’s chest and lapping against Cody’s arms, they shared their first kiss. 


	7. Gold

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Inspired by "Gold" by Vance Joy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What's this? Me, updating daily for a whole week? My muse sticking around for seven consecutive days?? Miracles really do happen. xD

“We can’t,” said Obi-Wan, staring down at his tea in the privacy of his quarters. 

(I’m a Jedi. He’s my commander. There’s the war.)

“We can’t,” said Cody, lying on his bunk in the privacy of his quarters. 

(He’s a Jedi. He’s my CO. There’s the war.)

They couldn’t. Obviously. It didn’t matter how they felt about each other, there wasn’t the time, and there were a million reasons not to. 

But… 

Well, when  _ would _ there be time? If they won the war, there would be cleanup for decades, centuries even, rebuilding planets and governments and cities. And if they lost the war…

Well, if they lost the war, chances were neither of them would be alive to pursue one another. 

Obi-Wan blew out a breath. Cody furrowed his brow. There was never a perfect time for anything, they supposed. Hadn’t they learned that? Life passed on by while people waited and waited for just the right moment. 

Obi-Wan took a sip of his tea. Cody closed his eyes. 

They pictured each other. Cody’s scuffed up armor, and Obi-Wan’s dust-covered robes. Gritted teeth and feral smiles, swinging ‘sabers and shooting blasters. Nights out in the field, curled up together to preserve body heat and keep from freezing on hostile planets. Sunlight glinting off Obi-Wan’s hair, and Cody’s paint patterned after the sun. Gold.

Obi-Wan drained the last of his tea. Cody sat up in his bunk. There would never be just the right time, and tomorrow was never guaranteed, especially not in war. Especially not for a soldier and a Jedi. Tomorrow could be the last day for either of them. And how would they feel, if one lost the other, knowing they’d never acted and now never could? 

Better to try, to have a few moments together, than none at all. 

Obi-Wan stood from his desk. Cody stood from his bunk. Minds made up, they strode to the doors of their respective quarters, each intent on finding the other. 

After all, they each knew that the other wouldn’t be asleep, despite the fact that it was well into the night cycle. When did either of them ever sleep? There was always work to be done, and men too stubborn not to do it.

Walking down the hall, each of them took a breath. This was a big step, going forward with this, assuming the other agreed to it. They’d be stepping out into the unknown, navigating the night without a map.

But they’d have one another. They could do it. 

“Cody,” Obi-Wan greeted, a bit surprised when he turned a corner and almost ran into the other man.

“General,” Cody greeted, equally surprised. “I was just coming to talk to you.”

“And I to you,” the Jedi said. He could feel the nervous energy radiating from the clone, and had Cody been Force-sensitive, surely he would have read the same from Obi-Wan. “Shall we return to your quarters, or mine?”

“Yours are a bit better equipped for talking,” Cody said, a small smile tugging at his lips. 

“That is true,” Obi-Wan agreed. His quarters had space for entertaining guests. He turned to the side and gestured down the hall. “Shall we?”

They walked back to Obi-Wan’s quarters in silence. They settled into chairs, Obi-Wan offering tea and Cody accepting. 

“You wanted to speak with me?” Obi-Wan said at last, breaking the silence. 

“Yes sir.” Cody hesitated, took a sip of his tea, and set the cup down again. “I was thinking. About… us.”

Obi-Wan felt his chest tighten slightly, hope and anxiety mingled together. He almost released the feeling into the Force, as was his instinct, but then decided against it. However this conversation went, perhaps it would be best to fully steep in it. After all, Cody could not release his anxiety, and that seemed a bit unfair. 

“Oh?” Obi-Wan prompted. 

Cody hummed. “I was thinking that, well, there won’t ever be the right time. And if we wait for it…”

“We’ll wait for the rest of our lives,” Obi-Wan finished. 

Cody looked up and met Obi-Wan’s gaze, searching, and nodded.

“I was thinking the same thing,” the Jedi said. “Just now, actually. That’s why I was coming to find you.”

Cody’s eyes brightened with hope. “I think we could work. There are obstacles, but we face obstacles of one sort or another every day, and we overcome them. Together.”

Obi-Wan smiled. “We do. Together.” He paused a moment, thinking. “We’d have to maintain our professionalism on duty, of course. But I agree. I think we could work.”

Cody’s grin was as bright as the sun. 

They talked for another two hours, and then Cody returned to his quarters, and Obi-Wan retired to bed. 

“We can,” said Obi-Wan, looking up at the ceiling, and feeling as though a ceiling had been removed from his heart. 

“We can,” said Cody, looking up at the ceiling, and feeling as though anything was possible. 


	8. Hallelujah

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Based on "Hallelujah", specifically the cover by Pentatonix.
> 
> Listen to the song before reading to get the full effect of the Feels. :)

_There was a tale, so long ago_

_A song of loss and love, you know,_

_But you don’t really care for stories, do yah?_

_Well it goes like so,_

_A Jedi, a clone,_

_A galactic war, no place to call home._

_The baffled pair composing hallelujah._

_Hallelujah._

It started with a Jedi, young and full of fire. A yearning for justice burned in his soul, and also in his heart that was so easily swayed by the cries of the suffering. His heart, so full of compassion, determination, loyalty, and other such traits, and which he would learn the ins and outs of in order to know himself and be able to feel deeply without drowning in those feelings.

He was still young when he met her. She was young too, and they spent a year together on the run. Adrenaline mixed with moonlight glinting off silver-gold hair, and paired with a heart that felt everything so deeply, he fell in love. She fell in love too, adrenaline from running mixed with the fire that was him beside her, and so they shared each other’s company for a time.

And then it came to an end. Duty called and each had to answer. The Padawan would always answer its call, but his heart had hoped that she would call him instead, that he could have answered hers.

It was for the best, and the will of the Force that they parted ways, but his heart still ached with could-have-beens.

So when the war came, and with it constant running and adrenaline and armor that glinted white and gold, it was familiar. He’d been there before, seen that room, walked that floor. Perhaps that should have been enough to keep him from falling again. But then he found his life suddenly filled with more, and though he had always lived surrounded by thousands of friends and family members, it was as if he had been alone his whole life until right now. He had felt no lack, and then _he_ came, and it was as though Obi-Wan had lived alone until knowing him.

But love… he had fallen in love so many times in his youth, and what had it earned him besides aches and longing?

Yet he was drawn to Cody, and Cody to him, and they made a promise for _after the war_.

After the war came, against all odds, but it didn’t find them unscathed. It found them cracked in their own ways, wrestling various insecurities.

“Love…” Obi-Wan searched for words, the aching of failed-loves past haunting him, ghosts that sent little shivers across his skin and contrasted the heat of Cody’s hand so close to his as they sat on a couch together, “it’s not a victory march. It’s a cold, broken hallelujah. It never ends well, not for me.”

_Not with me._

He stood from the couch, electing instead to pace across the floor in an uncharacteristic display of turmoil. Moving would shake the ghosts away, maybe, and if not it would at least remove the unnerving feeling of cold and warm at once.

Cody stayed where he was. He pulled his hands into his lap and twisted his fingers together, staring at them instead of at Obi-Wan. “I don’t know anything about love,” Cody said. “All I know is how to shoot somebody that outdraws you. I’m not… that’s all I’m meant for. Shooting, fighting. Clones aren’t supposed to love.”

 _And how could anyone love one?_ Was left unsaid, but it hung there all the same, drenched in deep-set sorrow and grim acceptance.

Obi-Wan paused, drawn out of his brooding by Cody’s words, both the ones that were spoken and the ones that echoed in his Force-signature.

“Oh, Cody,” he breathed, Cody’s sorrow breaking his own heart. He moved back to the couch and took Cody’s face in his hands, gently, brushing a thumb just once over Cody’s cheek.

That touch was all it took for a war’s worth of tears to come rushing to the surface. The first tear fell, and then Obi-Wan wrapped Cody in a hug as the rest followed, and Cody’s tears drew out his own.

They broke together, crying for all that had happened, all the life that had been stolen from each of them and from the people they cared about. From the galaxy. From each other.

The Force murmured in mourning too, dipping and flowing around them, catching the tears in their souls and sweeping them into an infinite river with all the tears of every being that had ever mourned.

Once their tears ran out and the storms within calmed, they continued to sit, taking comfort in their shared embrace.

“I’d like to love you,” Obi-Wan said after a while, “if.. if you’ll let me. If you’ll have me.”

He felt Cody tighten his hold. “I’d like to love you too. If you’ll have me.”

They shared a common problem: neither thought they were good enough for the other, and each thought that love wasn’t meant for them. That love was for other people, people who hadn’t fought a galactic war and seen friends and family die. Each thought that they were meant for infinite sadness.

Love wouldn’t fix those things. It would be foolish to think a romance would heal all that had been broken, and they were self-aware enough to know that they each had healing to do. But they _would_ heal.

And maybe love was for Jedi and clones too, not just other people.

_Hallelujah, hallelujah._

_Hallelujah, hallelujah._

_Hallelujah, Halleloo-oo-oo-oo-o-o-jah._


End file.
